Minjae stretched his arms high above his head as he stepped into the school cafeteria. The smell of cheap noodles and fried chicken hit him like a wave, instantly making his stomach growl.
"Hyunwoo! Jisoo! Over here!" he called, waving his hand like a man stranded on a deserted island.
Hyunwoo grinned as he slammed his tray down on the table. "You're unusually loud today, Minjae. Did you finally confess to one of your 2D waifus?"
Minjae smirked. "Nah, they confessed to me first."
Jisoo plopped down across from them, her headphones resting around her neck. Her long, messy hair hung lazily over her shoulder, and she barely spared them a glance as she stabbed her chopsticks into her rice.
"You guys are idiots," she mumbled, resting her chin on her hand.
"Aw, come on, Jisoo," Minjae said with a teasing grin. "You know you're secretly proud to hang out with us."
Jisoo lazily flicked her gaze toward him. "I just stick around so someone can carry my bag when I'm feeling lazy."
"Wow, using me for manual labor. Cold." Minjae clutched his chest in mock pain.
Hyunwoo laughed, shoving a piece of chicken into his mouth. "Anyway, did you hear about that first-year from Class 1-B? The one who tried to act tough and got smacked by the upperclassmen?"
"Oh yeah," Minjae leaned in. "Word is he challenged them because they insulted his favorite idol group. Dude's got guts, I'll give him that."
"Or no brains," Jisoo added, not looking up from her food.
"Hey, speaking of that, you're gonna join the after-school anime club today, right?" Hyunwoo asked.
Minjae nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! They're having a debate about the greatest shounen protagonist of all time."
Jisoo let out a long sigh. "And you wonder why people think you're a loser."
Minjae grinned. "I embrace it. It's called being passionate."
As lunch ended, Minjae hurried to the club room, practically skipping. But his excitement hit a wall — literally — when he bumped into a tall second-year blocking the hallway with his crew.
"Oi, watch where you're going, nerd." The boy sneered, his arm draped lazily around one of his goons.
"S-Sorry…" Minjae muttered, trying to slip past.
The second-year slapped the manga out of Minjae's hands. "What's this? Cute girls with big eyes? Tsk. I hate otakus."
Minjae's fists trembled. His manga — his treasure — lying crumpled on the floor. He looked up, anger flickering in his eyes.
"Pick it up," he said, voice low.
The boy laughed. "Or what?"
"I'll… I'll fight you," Minjae blurted, feeling Hyunwoo and Jisoo arrive behind him.
Hyunwoo's eyes widened. "Bro… you sure about this?"
Minjae puffed his chest. "Yeah. I can't let this slide."
Jisoo yawned. "Well, this'll be a short match."
They squared up in a circle of students chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The second-year lunged first, and Minjae instinctively closed his eyes and swung wildly — missing completely. One tap to his shoulder and Minjae stumbled, landing flat on his back.
The crowd roared with laughter.
"Pathetic," the second-year scoffed, walking away.
Minjae groaned on the floor as Hyunwoo helped him up.
"Well, you tried," Hyunwoo said, trying not to laugh.
"Yeah, real inspiring," Jisoo deadpanned, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
Minjae dusted himself off and picked up his manga. "I'll win next time."
"Sure, sure," Jisoo muttered, already walking ahead.
As they left the scene, Minjae couldn't help but smile. Even in defeat, something inside him felt… alive. The real world wasn't as safe as his stories, but maybe it wasn't as boring either.
And somewhere, that debt message still waited in his phone — a silent timer ticking down.